


Laughter, Lust, Love

by FoxRafer



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-18
Updated: 2007-02-18
Packaged: 2017-10-21 11:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/224533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxRafer/pseuds/FoxRafer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the Surprise prompt in the <a href="http://adult-bean.livejournal.com/"><b>adult_bean</b></a> Hearts & Flowers challenge.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Laughter, Lust, Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Surprise prompt in the [**adult_bean**](http://adult-bean.livejournal.com/) Hearts & Flowers challenge.

If he was nothing else he was a good actor. It didn't matter that his third marriage had crashed and burned and now lawyers argued over the scraps. It didn't matter that he was now a hemisphere away from his children, Evie not even a year old and discovering the world without him. He was an actor, and he played the part of the convivial cast mate perfectly. Available for a quick pint or a few pranks; always there if someone needed to let off steam or a strong shoulder to cry on. Everything about Sean was charming and "normal."

Only Viggo saw through the act, and slowly coaxed Sean into exposing more of himself. Their friendship grew through shared experiences and commiserations, over late night pizza and beer. But even as he allowed more of his icy core to be warmed by Viggo's gentle embrace, he still held back believing if he released everything he managed to ignore, what he had to suppress so he could survive each day, he would drown and never be the same again.

But Sean had already changed: he hadn't laughed in months. He was quick with a practiced chuckle, a quiet yet sincere exhalation that everyone accepted as good humor. Everyone except Viggo, who somehow knew this was the key to unlock the final barrier Sean had built around himself. Sean would catch Viggo staring at him after one of his not-quite-there laughs, and would blush a bit, suddenly self-conscious. He hated what he could see in Viggo's eyes in those moments: not pity or judgment, but understanding; the strange sense that this man understood him even better than he understood himself and it unsettled him.

Everything changed on a sunny Sunday afternoon when Sean was sidelined by a barefoot madman who came from nowhere and tackled him. Crushed under glittering blue eyes and a maniacal smile, tangled with long legs and calloused hands, Sean encountered his first surprise. He could feel it bubbling out of his gut, tearing away the binds he had tied rigidly around his heart as it made it's way up his throat, momentarily choking him as his body struggled against it, finally erupting into the clear air and sunshine. The laugh was rich and loud and vibrant, and intensified as it was joined by Viggo's own high-pitched cackle. Sean was giddy and intoxicated, could feel the air rushing from his lungs along with the last of his defenses.

And then the final cord snapped, and instead of tears caused by laughter they were now flowing in grief. Viggo simply held him, allowing Sean to empty all his pain and darkness into the ground, to release himself into the safety of Viggo's friendship and care.

~###~

Having a friend like Viggo was new for Sean, never once connecting so completely with anyone in such a short space of time. They spent most of their free time together, and when not in the same vicinity would often be on the phone with one another. Sean started calling Viggo at night before heading to bed just to hear his voice and say he'd see him in the morning. They didn't plan to be with each other all the time, it just naturally happened.

As time passed, Sean began to notice more particular things about Viggo. The way his eyes changed color at different times of day, how they reflected the light and everything around him. The way his hair would fall into his eyes, and the unconscious tug of an ear when he was embarrassed or nervous. How his laugh was completely mad and infectious, and how his toothy smile was full of utter joy and delight.

Slowly he realized his thoughts were delving even deeper, becoming more intimate. He imagined what it would feel like to run his fingers through Viggo's hair, to lick the sweat from his brow. He needed to know if the scar above his mouth tasted different than the skin at the nape of his neck. Sean wondered how Viggo would arch into his touch and if Viggo's thighs would be soft and yielding under his hands.

Sean was increasingly distracted by Viggo's presence; even his unique scent was compelling. He only had to be in the room for Sean's gut to twist and burn and his mouth to grow dry. He longed to know how Viggo's voice would sound curved around a low moan, how his mouth would feel stretched around Sean's cock, how his face would look taut with pleasure as he came.

He had never thought about a man the way he did about Viggo, never craved anyone so completely his mind felt consumed by them. Sean didn't fight it, wasn't even afraid of it, and although surprised by the intensity of his desires he accepted them. Many times Sean was caught with his mind wandering, picturing his friend laid bare before him, hard and wanting. When jolted out of his lustful thoughts, he often saw a flicker of recognition in Viggo's eyes, as if he knew what Sean had been thinking. But the look was quickly masked and although Sean could acknowledge his feelings, he knew he could never act on them.

~###~

The shift in their relationship was quiet and subtle; it crept up on Sean and brought a sense of contentment he hadn't felt in a long time. Hands lingered over casual touches and every moment together was treasured. It was instinctive to have the other always in their thoughts, and unconsciously they purchased gifts for no other purpose than to make the other happy. Sean would spend hours pouring through shelves and bins looking for the perfect gift: sometimes a rare book of essays, at other times a silly t-shirt. He learned how to make fishing flies by hand, then proudly presented them to Viggo. He knew at that moment he would do anything to see that look in Viggo's eyes again.

A few weeks later, after a long day of filming, Sean found in his trailer an ornately decorated tray of what at first glance looked like Mahjong tiles. On closer inspection, he realized that the larger cream tiles were marked with Chinese symbols and the rest of the "board" was comprised of a delicate mosaic that looked like an ancient tapestry of a flowering tree, it's branches seemingly winding their way behind the larger tiles and continuing on to the other side of the tray. The beauty of the piece was evident, but beyond that the piece had a certain quality or energy about it that spoke to Sean and took his breath away. He could tell there was a message in this gift, and he was eager to understand.

By the time Sean found the gift, Viggo had already left for his solo camping trip. Sean smiled remembering how they'd joked about Viggo's need to "commune with nature," but now he recalled seeing a more sober look deep in Viggo's eyes, something he had dismissed as simply exhaustion but now he wasn't sure. Had Viggo planned to give this gift just before heading out for a couple of days? Although he was disappointed that he couldn't see Viggo immediately, he also understood Viggo's need to escape. He had given Sean something deeply personal and more purposeful than any of their other gifts and he was unsure how it would be received.

Sean marveled at Viggo's courage to take the leap of faith both of them had been avoiding for months. Despite the indisputable electricity between them, they still skirted around their obvious feelings, until now. Although he thought he'd be uncomfortable or nervous, he wasn't. Instead he felt warmth unlike anything he had ever experienced before; it suffused through every fiber of his being and made him feel lighter and more at peace.

He took a picture of the tray and e-mailed it to a close friend back home who he knew would be able to interpret the symbols for him. Every spare moment over the weekend was spent cherishing the gift, running his fingers across the tiles and feeling his heart swell with every look and touch. Sunday night, just before Sean was about to head over to Viggo's to welcome him home, he received the response. He opened the attached file, a scanned page where his friend had rewritten each symbol and then wrote their meanings underneath.

  
[   
](http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t68/FoxRafer/SeansGift.jpg)   


He stared at the screen in front of him, finding more than he had expected and everything he had hoped for. And that's when it hit him, the biggest surprise of all: he knew without any doubts or fears that he and Viggo were in love. And miraculously he didn't question whether he was deserving of this unexpected gift, because if someone like Viggo could fall in love with him then he must have done something worthwhile in his life. His heart full, Sean drove to Viggo's house, confident and secure, ready to embark on the greatest adventure of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies if the symbols are all wrong. I found them at http://www.chinesesymbolsmeaning.com but don't know if they're really correct.


End file.
